Defense Does Just Fine Without Taylor

Derrick Rodgers And Trace Armstrong Picked Up The Slack For The Injured Jason Taylor.

October 20, 1997|By Michael Mayo, Miami Bureau

BALTIMORE — When defensive end Jason Taylor broke his right forearm on the last play of practice on Thursday, it didn't give the Miami Dolphins' defensive line much time to prepare for his absence.

But they coped.

Miami gave up 385 yards but only one touchdown in Sunday's 24-13 victory against the Baltimore Ravens. Linebacker Derrick Rodgers was shifted to a lineman's position for most of the game, and left end Trace Armstrong responded with a key first-half performance.

Rodgers and Armstrong made fumble recoveries in the first half, as the Dolphins raced to a 21-3 halftime lead.

''We really made a statement in the first half,'' Armstrong said. ''Whenever you lose a guy, you know you have to pick it up a little.''

''When an individual goes down, it effects everybody,'' said Rodgers, a rookie. ''Jason was gone, and we adapted. What that shows is that we've matured.''

At first, it looked like it might be a long day for the defense. Bam Morris ran up the middle on the first four plays for 29 yards. But then the defense stiffened, spearheaded by Armstrong.

On second-and-three at Miami's 15, Armstrong tackled Morris for a 4-yard loss. Armstrong and Tim Bowens pressured Vinny Testaverde into an incompletion on third down, and the Ravens were forced to settle for a field goal.

''I felt good,'' Armstrong said. ''There was a lot of emotion in the locker room before the game, maybe too much emotion. It took us a little while to get settled down, but we finally did.

''On that second down, I was able to get penetration and I took him down,'' Armstrong said. ''On the next play, I hit Vinny and had a chance to get him on the ground, but I let him get away. But that was a big series for us, holding them to three points.''

On Baltimore's next possession, Morris fumbled for the first time in 239 carries when he was drilled by Daryl Gardener. Armstrong recovered at Baltimore's 34, and Karim Abdul-Jabbar scored three plays later to make it 14-3.

''Daryl made a great play to knock the ball out, and then I took the ball away from Derrick on the ground, actually,'' Armstrong said.

That was OK, because Rodgers would get another chance at a recovery on Baltimore's next possession. He ran over from the right end position to the left sideline to help tackle Derrick Alexander after a reception. The ball squirted straight into his hands when Terrell Buckley hit Alexander.

Rodgers spent about 70 percent of the snaps in a down-lineman position, 30 percent as a linebacker, when he could rush the quarterback or drop into coverage. Before Taylor's injury, the percentages were reversed.

''This wasn't much different from what I did in college,'' Rodgers said. ''Before this week, I was able to disguise when I was coming in to rush. It was easier to confuse the linemen. It's different when you're lining up low and the big guy knows you're rushing.''

Rodgers said his body was more worn out than in previous games, something that could be a factor as Taylor's absence (4-6 weeks) goes on.

''We only had six linemen; there were less bodies out there rotating,'' Armstrong said. ''Each of us took a lot more reps out there.''